“Who has saved us and called us with a
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and
grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been
revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and
brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy
1:9-10)
As quoted in “Today in the Word,”
Dr. George Sweeting told of an incident in the early 1920’s when Communist
leader Nikolai Bukharin was sent from Moscow to Kiev to address an anti-God
rally. For an hour he abused and ridiculed the Christian faith until it seemed
as if the whole structure of belief was in ruins. Then questions were invited
from the audience. An Orthodox Catholic Church priest rose and asked to speak.
He turned, faced the people, and gave the Easter greeting, "He
is risen!" Instantly the assembly rose to its feet and the reply came
back loud and clear from them all: "He is risen indeed!"
Today is Easter Sunday in much of the world, a day that marks
the resurrection, the return to life of Jesus Christ from the dead. He defeated
death. He was the One who died in our place. He paid the ultimate price for
anyone in humanity by giving His life for ours. And it is this truth that
separates Christ Jesus from any religion this world can offer. He did not merely
die, as others have done; He died for our sins. He was God’s choice to be the
Redeemer for every lost sinner in humanity, from Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, to
the last few at the end of time who will place their trust in the Lord. “He
is risen indeed” and we are SAFE if we ALLOW ourselves to place our trust
in Him.
He is your Savior, and as Dr. Sweeting observed, true faith
cannot be stamped out by even the strongest orators in humanity or by some kind
of repressive government. Jesus Christ is the Savior and Lord, and all we have
to do is place our faith in Him.
We traveled with friends earlier this week to Palm Springs,
California, for a needed rest. The city of Palm Springs has quite a number of
streets that were named or renamed for notable celebrities from the past. Four
of them that we either drove on or passed by were: The Gene Autry Trail, Dinah
Shore Drive, Bob Hope Drive, and Frank Sinatra Drive. All four of those persons
were well-known during the time of my childhood and probably many who read or
hear these words know about them as well. It’s quite an honor when a street or a
town is named after someone, and all four of these film stars, comedians and
singers might have been happy to be memorialized in that manner.
But there is a problem for all of them and for others who have
been honored in that way. They’re all dead. Communist leader Nikolai Bukharin is
dead also. And if some have a street named after them before they die, will it
be meaningful to them after leaving this planet? All four, Gene Autry, Dinah
Shore, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra were famous entertainers, but they are all
very dead. If they even remember that certain streets were named in their honor,
does it matter to them now? The sad answer is - no - it does not matter to them
at all.
They now realize that all pleasure, all honor, all human
glory, all that matters is only relative. To live in a large mansion is only
important if the home is larger and grander than other homes. A hut or a cave
would seem like a mansion to the owner if everyone else was homeless and had
nothing at all. The only thing that is important to Gene Autry, Dinah Shore, Bob
Hope and Frank Sinatra is whether or not they trusted in the Lord while they
lived on earth. If they did they have everything, but if they did not place
their faith in Him, they only have miserable regrets about what might have been;
a misery that will last – forever!
When Paul wrote the words of today’s Scripture to a younger
pastor named Timothy, he was in a Roman jail. He said to the younger man, “God
gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore
do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me His prisoner…”
(2 Timothy 1:7-8). Paul was in a shameful place from a human perspective, but
Christ had set him free, and in Christ that former prisoner lives - forever.
Paul’s human body would die, not that long in the future, and
yet he spoke about death in our Scripture for today, that “our
Savior Christ Jesus… ABOLISHED death and brought
LIFE and immortality.” Because of Jesus Christ, Paul the Apostle is very
much alive right now, though in A.D. 66, the man was tied and held down while a
Roman soldier killed him. Though his human life would end at the side of a Roman
road, he is still very much alive. Paul reminded Timothy that the Lord “saved
us and called us with a holy calling…” (2 Timothy 1:9-10). And note that
Paul and Timothy still speak to the world through these words in Scripture,
though they have been gone from the earth for 2000 years.
It’s through the death and resurrection of Jesus that Paul and
Timothy are alive today and their words live on. It was Jesus who died, not for
Himself, but for us, and if we believe, we will live as well. This “holy
calling” which we celebrate at Easter and hopefully at other times as
well, was, as Paul put it, “not according to our works, but(it was)according to His own purpose and grace…
from all eternity.” Paul did a lot of good, but it
was not his works that saved him. Paul was saved because he believed in the
Lord. Jesus Christ died for Paul, He died for Timothy, and He died for you and
me. In the Lord’s death, in His return to life, we see the reality of salvation:
It is the Lord who saves us, not our works.
As Paul said, the Lord “has saved us and
called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His
own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity(which)has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior
Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:9-10).
While we were in Palm Springs, we were the guests of someone
who generously opened their home to us. In the hallway there was a framed sign
which said, “When God closes one door, He always opens
another, but it’s hell in the hallway!” That’s amusing and it contains
truth – God DOES have a door to life for us; a place of safety, healing and joy
through Christ, but the “hallway” to the future can
be difficult. He has taken us out of one kind of life through the cross of Jesus
Christ and has given us another, better life. The door to the past is closed,
but we have a very certain door to the future which is simply wonderful. For
Paul it was indeed “hell in the hallway,” but here’s
what he said: “For this reason I suffer these things;
nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded
that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day” (1
Timothy 1:12). He trusted in the Lord.
It was also “hell in the hallway”
for Christians in the Soviet Union during the 1920’s, and no doubt it became
very bad for the priest who gave the Easter greeting, "He
is risen!" eliciting the response from the people, "He
is risen indeed!" He embarrassed Communist leader Nikolai Bukharin, but
that courageous priest is with the Lord whereas Bukharin is likely – lost
forever.
I don’t care about streets being named after people, but I do
care about what happens to you. Have you trusted in the Lord? Let’s make sure
right now:
Lord Jesus, thank You that You died for me. I confess my
sins and I give my heart and life to You. I believe in You. I am Yours and I
praise Your Holy Name. In Jesus Name. Amen.
